a n t h r o p o l o g y

SOA 1001 College: An Introduction     1 QH
Intended for freshmen in the College of Arts and Sciences. Seeks to introduce freshmen to the liberal arts in general, as well as to familiarize them with their major; help them develop the academic skills necessary to succeed (e.g. analytical ability and critical thinking); provide grounding in the culture and values of the University community; and help them develop interpersonal skills--in short, to familiarize students with all skills needed to become a successful university student.

SOA 1100 Peoples and Cultures     4 QH
Surveys concepts in anthropology (the study of culture). Analyzes a range of societies in terms of such sociocultural institutions as kinship, gender relations, economics, politics, and religion. Examines important political and economic processes, such as colonialism and development, affecting cultures around the world.

SOA 1104/IAF 1104 Cultures of the World     4 QH
Explores cultural differences among peoples in societies around the globe and analyzes how diverse cultural patterns can be studied and described. (Core Category II)

SOA 1125 Introduction to Archaeology     4 QH
Surveys the New World prehistoric cultures. Focuses on examining the work of archaeology and ethnohistory in a range of societies in both South and North America. Pays particular attention to social, political, and economic factors and how these work to promote such things as state formation, regional political alignment, and social differentiation. Studies the Incan, Mayan, and Aztec states, as well as the big game hunting traditions of the Plains, and the farming communities of the Southwestern United States and the Mississippi River area.

SOA 1133 The Americas from an Indigenous Perspective     4 QH
Examines the history and culture of the Americas (North America, Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean) from the perspectives of its original inhabitants. Provides students with the understanding that history involves looking at not only the histories that we were never told, but also the ways in which the histories of the indigenous Americans were distorted and stereotyped. Examines the ways in which indigenous Americans are reclaiming their histories and culture in a variety of arenas and how the ways indigenous peoples have been encoded into history both influences how they are described in popular culture and textbooks and sets the tone for current issues such as territorial autonomy, political representation, control of native resources, and human rights that are fundamental in their communities. Developed through a collaborative process with indigenous students at Northeastern and elsewhere.

SOA 1146 Rural Workers in the Third World     4 QH
Surveys the lives of rural peoples in the contemporary Third World. Focuses on people's organizing efforts to improve their living and working conditions. Uses case studies from Latin America and China. (Core Category IV)

SOA 1155 Individual and Culture     4 QH
Explores the ways in which individuals are shaped by society and the ways in which they can effect change.

SOA 1160 Sex, Sex Roles, and Family     4 QH
Examines popular and scientific notions about sex, gender relations, family, and kinship. Examines why our images of family, masculinity, and femininity are not universal by analyzing the patterns of sex roles, sexual practices, and kinship in other cultures. Discusses how and why relations between men and women change during times of socioeconomic and political change.

SOA 1185 War and Aggression     4 QH
Evaluates, by using anthropological investigations, the assumption that aggression is part of human nature and linked to sex differences. Discusses cross-cultural variation in violent behavior and warfare in the context of wider political and economic processes. Analyzes the widespread belief in innate masculine aggression as it relates to contemporary societal violence and militarism.

SOA 1220 Culture and Mental Illness     4 QH
Discusses and analyzes the nature and meaning of culture, the role of culture in personality formation, culture and anxiety, anthropological approaches to the "normal" and the "abnormal," and the question, "Is mental illness psychological fact or cultural fiction?"

SOA 1301 Human Origins     4 QH
Offers an intensive look at the data on fossil remains and contemporary primates, which are essential for an understanding of human physical and behavioral evolution. Efforts are made to bring the student into direct contact with primary materials. (Core Category II)

SOA 1303 Sexuality and Culture     4 QH
Examines sexuality in a cross-cultural perspective, including issues of sexual identity, the relationship of sexuality to the life cycle, sexual ideologies, and the links between sexuality and the reproduction of cultural norms. Topics include cross-cultural variation in sexual expression, sex and reproduction as commodities, sexuality and violence, sexually transmitted diseases and social policy. Compares sexuality issues in the United States to those of other cultures.

SOA 1310 Global Markets and Local Cultures     4 QH
Discusses selected topics in the socioeconomic transformation of other cultures, including urbanization, industrialization, commodity production, and international labor migration. Focuses on the impact of capitalist development on contemporary Third World and postcolonial societies; examines local responses to those changes.

SOA 1425 Cultural Survival     4 QH
Examines the problems faced by today's tribal peoples and national minorities. Using cross-cultural case studies, analyzes the relationship of governmental policies and economic development priorities to the survival of self-identified tribal cultures and minority populations throughout the world. Examines human rights, nationalism, and cultural autonomy, resistance, and self-determination.

SOA 1430 Latin American Society and Development     4 QH
Explores the processes of social, economic, and cultural change in Latin America. While concentrating on the present, traces class formation, agrarian structures, ethnic identity, ceremonial organization, gender roles, and political conflict since the colonial era in a range of countries. Emphasizes the relationship of communities and national political and economic systems. May emphasize Central America and Mexico or countries in South America through case studies. (Core Category IV)

SOA 1431 Native North Americans     4 QH
Explores North American Indian tribes including the Dakota (Sioux), Navajo, Pueblo, Mohawk, and Penobscot, and examines the historical changes that led to their contemporary situation. Focuses on the reservation and its many problems from various viewpoints.

SOA 1470 Religion and Myth     4 QH
Focuses on nature and institutionalization of primitive, ancient, and contemporary religions. Explores religious concepts and movements in relation to social, religious, and political organization.

SOA 1704 Cultures of the World (Honors)     4 QH
Honors equivalent of SOA 1104.

SOA 1800, SOA 1801 Directed Study     4 QH each
Offers independent work on a chosen topic under the direction of members of the department. Prereq. Senior standing and department approval.

SOA 1820, SOA 1821, SOA 1822, SOA 1823     4 QH each
Junior/Senior Honors Project For details, contact the honors office.

SOA 1888, 1889 Experiential Education Directed Study     4 QH each
Draws upon the student's approved experiential activity and integrates it with study in the academic major. Restricted to those students who are using it to fulfill their experiential education requirement.

SOA 3100 Theory     4 QH
Graduate school course open to qualified undergraduates with permission of instructor.

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